The Lady's Butler

Separation Arc {Part 14}

(Part 14)

"Mama." Brandon greeted his mother with a solemn tone in the corridor even as Keyron bowed politely beside him in greeting to the mistress of the Greaves Household.

"You're back." Kelly Greaves noted with small surprise. "How did it go?"

"It was fine." Brandon answered, not feeling up to smiling and being happy. In fact, it would be rather hard for him to smile right now, especially considering who had been planning to see.

"Don't work yourself too hard, Brandon." Kelly reached forwards and ruffled her son's hair with a soft smile in encouragement. Then, spotting the very small hint of a smirk on her son's butler, she moved her hand from her son to the butler's head as well, messing it up the same way. "And you too, Keyron."

"We won't." Brandon promised for the both of them. "Besides, I'm supposed to take over Papa's company soon. I must learn seriously this time."

"Your father has told me of how well you're doing. Don't worry. Experience comes with time." Kelly smiled down at her son and his butler, though the replying ones were uncertain.

"How is she?"

Kelly found it hard to believe that only two years ago, 18 year old Brandon Greaves had still been young, naïve and cloistered in his family. She and her husband had worried that Brandon would never grow up, and that they would have to rely on Keyron to watch over dangers for their son for the rest of Brandon's life. Never would she have imagined that the agreement of an arranged marriage between Brandon and Louise Crawford would change her son's life.

The change they had expected had only been on Keyron, who would have met his twin brother for the first time, but Kelly and Henry now saw more change in their son that the butler.

"Still not very well." She answered honestly on a soft sigh. It broke her heart to see such a capable woman become like this as well. When her son had announced that he needed help in taking care of Keyron's mother as well as the young Crawford mistress, she had immediately agreed. Back then, she hadn't been sure what had happened for sure, but her husband had told her something about the young Kyrano Reyes taking a stand and fighting against the Crawford regime.

Kelly remembered being utterly worried at what the 19 year old famed butler would do, but it appeared that massacre had happened. The news that covered the affair in the days afterwards seemed to pin Kyrano Reyes down as some sort of demonic butler. The staff of the Crawford Household that had been there on that night had been interviewed, and all of them had reported the presence of Butler Kyrano with mercenaries, coming in and killing some of the staff. No one had understood why Kyrano only chose to kill some and spare the others.

What was clear to the world, however, was that 19 year old Kyrano had killed his own Master and Head Butler.

Kelly had initially been afraid that something might have happened, but Brandon had explained afterwards that Kyrano had been out to save his own mistress. Kelly had known that Oscar Crawford was a ruthless businessman, and had frowned on his hard-handed approach. But she hadn't known that the man had been predating on the poor young children in the same household, and when Brandon had expressed that Kyrano had finally decided to fight back and sacrifice his life to protect the young mistress of the Crawford Household, Kelly had burst into tears at the gallant bravery of the butler.

The death of one butler had affected everyone, but it was obvious to see who had it the worst.

It was already three months, and Louise Crawford had yet to show signs of improvement.